Resumes are creative writing exercises. They might be partially true. It's a data point, but a weak one. Focus on hiring the best person. What's more critical and predictive of success is hiring the best person for THE JOB. Job determines person. This seems so obvious, but it is often skipped over in the panic to hire.

Build competency lists for the job. Competency lists have nothing to do with what a person will actually do on a job, they reflect what a person could do if they felt like it. Instead, focus on Key Accountabilities, measurable and focused on what the job/person has to deliver for the company to thrive (see below for example).

Write off candidates who have switched jobs a lot. This could be a very strong candidate who has never been on boarded correctly. Millennials are moving a lot – capture one and keep them by feeding their passion to contribute.

Works:

Spend time defining the job before you hire. In the chaos of the last six years, jobs have turned into mish-mash messes. Clearly define the job Key Accountabilities (right) and if the job has multiple dimensions, prioritize them before interviewing. The more components to a job, the less likely you are to find a person that can do it all. Hint: this chaos may be why the last person left and why your candidate is looking. Don't make the same mistake.

Start with LinkedIn. If they do not have a LinkedIn profile, they are not a candidate. See how many people they are connected with. Reach out to any you know. Look at their employment history.

Use the resume to check references.

Forget about recruiters and job boards. They are exhausting, expensive and chaotic. Use the money to have your employees invite people for coffee that they know. Encourage the networking.

Create a Job Benchmark (1/2 day facilitated session)Step 1: Identify the job to be benchmarked. Get people together who are subject experts on the job (either doing the job well, have done it well, or lead the person doing the job directly). This step is critical to success- the wrong people in this group can mess up the final job benchmark.

List the important behaviors the job requires (brainstorm).

Prioritize the list and reduce any unrealistic responsibilities that should be part of a different job.

Step 2: Group competencies into chunks. Rewrite the chunks as Key Accountabilities answering the question "What must this job deliver for the company to thrive?" Limit the list to 3-5 measurable Key Accountabilities.

Add percent of time devoted (totals 80%) to each Key Accountability.

Step 3: Immediately have the SMEs complete a Job Assessment (online diagnostic tool) on the job keeping the Key Accountabilities in clear view.

Use the Job Benchmark and compare candidates to it using the Gap Report or up to five candidates using the Job Talent Comparison Report.

ALTERNATIVE:

Ask at least three people who do the job extremely well to take the Job Assessment.

Combine all the top performers assessment results into a Job Benchmark (automatically done by the tool).

Test the Job Benchmark by comparing it to lower and higher performers. Modify if needed.

Use the Job Benchmark and compare candidates to it using the Job Talent Comparison Report.

Key Accountabilities Example

Build an actionable, draft Project Charter by asking good questions and listening. 10%

Work with Customer to build and monitor a Project Schedule (One Task, One Name, One Date) working back from their committed delivery date, using that as a dashboard to keep the project moving forward. Will include issues resolution. 70%